How long does a cough usually last?

Most coughs improve within a few weeks. If your cough lasts longer than three weeks, is worsening or is affecting your daily life, it is worth speaking to a healthcare professional.

Why won't my cough go away?

A cough can continue after an infection because the airways may remain irritated. Other causes of a persistent cough include asthma, allergies, acid reflux and some medications.

What is the fastest way to get rid of a cough?

There is no instant cure for most coughs, but staying hydrated, resting and managing symptoms can make you feel more comfortable while your body recovers.

Can antibiotics treat a cough?

Most coughs are caused by viruses, so antibiotics will not help. They are only used when a clinician believes a bacterial infection is present. In these scenarios a face to face consultation may be advised.

Cough: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Different types of cough

The different types of cough are broadly categorised into productive (wet) coughs, non-productive (dry) coughs, croup, and paroxysmal coughs. They are identified by whether they bring up mucus, how they sound, and how long they last.

Productive coughs

A productive cough is one that brings up mucus or phlegm. This is the body's natural way of clearing irritants, debris, or infection from the lungs. When you have a wet cough, you may feel a rattling or congested sensationin your chestNon-productive coughs

A non-productive cough is a dry cough that does not produce any mucus. These coughs are often triggered by irritation or inflammation in the throat and upper airways. Common culprits include viral infections, allergens, or acid reflux. You will usually feel a tickling or scratchy sensation in the back of your throat, leading to hacking noises that can sometimes occur in long, exhausting fits.

Croup and paroxysmal coughs

A croup cough is distinctive because it sounds like a barking seal. It mainly affects young children and is caused by viral swelling of the upper airway. Croup can cause stridor, which is a harsh, high-pitched sound when breathing in. Stridor that happens when your child is calm or resting is a sign of more severe croup and needs urgent medical help.

A paroxysmal cough involves violent, uncontrollable coughing fits that can leave you feeling breathless or exhausted. This type of severe coughing is strongly associated with conditions like whooping cough (pertussis).

Cough duration

The length of time you have had a cough is a key factor in how a GP assesses it. An acute cough lasts for less than three weeks and is most commonly caused by short-term illnesses like colds, flu, or bronchitis. A subacute cough lasts between three and eight weeks, often lingering stubbornly after an initial viral infection has passed. A chronic cough lasts for longer than eight weeks. This persistent type of cough may point to an underlying health condition such as asthma, acid reflux, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Type	Key Sound or Feeling	Mucus Production	Common Associated Causes
Wet (Chesty)	Rattling, congested, gurgling	Brings up phlegm	Chest infections, bronchitis
Dry (Tickly)	Scratchy, hacking, throat tickle	No mucus	Allergies, viral infection acid reflux
Croup	Barking seal, high-pitched stridor	Minimal	Viral upper airway inflammation in children
Paroxysmal	Uncontrollable violent fits	Variable	Whooping cough, severe asthma

Common causes of a cough

The most common causes of a short-term cough are viral respiratory tract infections, while long-term coughs are typically triggered by underlying conditions like asthma, acid reflux, or environmental factors such as smoking.

Acute coughs from infections

Most acute coughs lasting less than three weeks are caused by viral upper respiratory infections, as noted by the East London NHS Foundation Trust. The common culprits include the common cold, influenza and COVID-19, as well as chest infections such as bronchitis, and pneumonia, which can be viral or bacterial. Upper respiratory tract infections affect the sinuses and throat, while lower respiratory tract infections affect the airways and lungs, according to the NHS. When an infection affects these tissues, your body produces excess mucus and inflammation, triggering the cough reflex to clear the airways. If you suspect a specific infection, you can read more in our dedicated guides on flu, COVID-19, and chest infections. Serious infections like pneumonia can damage the airways and contribute to ongoing cough symptoms, as explained by the NHS.

Chronic coughs from underlying conditions

A cough that persists for weeks or months often has a non-infectious cause. The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust lists several major causes of chronic cough. These include asthma (specifically cough-variant asthma, where coughing is the main symptom), gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (acid reflux irritating the throat), and postnasal drip, where mucus drips from the back of the nose into the upper airways. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is also a frequent cause of a long-term chesty cough.

Environmental and lifestyle factors

External triggers play a significant role in chronic irritation. Smoking is a primary lifestyle cause, leading to a persistent smoker's cough. Allergies such as hay fever, or exposure to environmental irritants like dust, pollution, and cold, dry air can also keep a cough going. Additionally, certain medications can cause a dry cough as a side effect. The Royal Brompton Hospital notes that ACE inhibitors, a common type of blood pressure medication, are frequently linked to this.

Home management and treatment

You can manage and treat a cough at home by staying hydrated, resting,using throat lozenges for dry coughs, and taking suitable over-the-counter medicines.

General self-care

Staying well hydrated is an important part of recovery, and drinking plenty of fluids can help soothe your throat. Resting is equally important to give your immune system the energy it needs to fight off the underlying infection. Using a humidifier in your bedroom can also help by moistening the air, which reduces irritation in the airways.

Older man wearing a scarf taking medication with a glass of water at a table

Managing a dry cough

For a dry cough, the goal is to soothe the throat and calm the reflex. Sucking on lozenges or hard sweets stimulates saliva production, which lubricates a dry throat. A warm drink of lemon and honey is a well-tested home remedy to ease a tickle. However, it is important to note that honey is not safe for babies under one year of age due to the risk of infant botulism.

Managing a productive cough

When dealing with a productive cough, you want to help your body clear the mucus effectively. Inhaling steam, such as sitting in a hot, steamy shower, can loosen thick phlegm. When sleeping, try to keep your head elevated with an extra pillow. This prevents mucus from pooling at the back of your throat and triggering coughing fits during the night.

Close-up of a hand holding a brown medicine bottle

Over-the-counter medicines

Pharmacies offer various treatments depending on your specific symptoms. There is limited evidence that over-the-counter cough medicines work, but some people find them helpful for easing symptoms. Speak to a pharmacist for advice on which is right for you, and do not give cough and cold medicines to children under six, with children aged 6 to 12 only having them on the advice of a pharmacist or doctor.

Medicine Type	How it Works	Best Used For
Suppressants	Reduce the urge to cough	Dry, irritating coughs keeping you awake at night
Expectorants	Helps loosen mucus so it is easier to cough upt	Chesty coughs, to make clearing mucus easier
Demulcents	Soothing syrups containing ingredients like glycerine that coat the throat	Relieving scratchy discomfort

When to see a doctor

You should see a doctor for a cough if it lasts for more than three weeks, or urgently if it is very severe, produces blood, or is accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, or unexplained weight loss.

When to book an online GP appointment

As an online GP, I often speak to patients who are unsure when to ask for help. You can book a video consultation if your cough:

Has lasted for more than three weeks.
Is getting worse or not improving.
Is accompanied by unexplained weight loss.
Is causing a hoarse voice that has lasted more than three weeks.

We can assess many symptoms by video. If you need a physical examination or tests, such as a chest X-ray, we will advise you on the next steps.

Urgent medical care

Get an urgent in-person GP appointment or call 111 if:

You have chest pain that comes on when you cough or breathe in, but is not severe.
You are more short of breath than usual, but can still speak in full sentences.
You are coughing up a small amount of blood or blood-stained mucus.
You have a high temperature that is not settling, or you feel very unwell.

These symptoms usually need a face-to-face examination, such as listening to your chest, so a video consultation is not the right first step.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

You are struggling to breathe.
You are choking.
Your lips or skin are turning blue or grey.
You are coughing up more than a few teaspoons of blood.
You have sudden or severe chest pain, feels heavy or tight, or spreads to your arms, jaw neck or back.
Your child has pauses in breathing, severe difficulty breathing, blue lips or skin, or floppiness/unresponsiveness

Coughs in children and babies

Coughs in children and babies require careful monitoring because their smaller airways can narrow more easily, and they often need different treatments than adults.

Differences in children

Children’s airways are smaller than adults’ and keep growing throughout childhood, and children have less breathing reserve. This means they can seem to be coping well before becoming unwell quickly. Babies and young children are most vulnerable:they are more likely to catch common viruses that cause illnesses such as as croup and bronchiolitis, and because their airways are so small, even a small amount of mucus or swelling can cause significant breathing difficulties. Children of all ages may also find it hard to describe how they feel, and they often need different treatments from adults.

Common causes in children

Viral infections: It is entirely normal for young children to have eight to 10 colds a year, and nearly all of these will feature a cough.

Croup: This causes a distinctive barking seal sound and stridor, which is a noisy, high-pitched intake of breath. Croup most commonly affects children aged 6 months to 3 years.

Bronchiolitis: This is a common chest infection in children under 2, most often affecting babies under 1. It is usually caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). It starts like a cold, then can cause a persistent cough, rapid breathing or noisy breathing, and difficulty feeding.

Whooping cough (pertussis): This is a bacterial infection that causes long, exhausting coughing fits, which are often, but not always, followed by a whoop sound as the child gasps for air. Young babies may not whoop at all. Instead, they may briefly stop breathing or turn blue or grey during a coughing fit, which needs urgent medical help. Babies under 6 months are at highest risk of serious illness

Red flag symptoms

Children need urgent medical assessment if they display any of the following signs:

Difficulty breathing, especially if the skin is sucking in under the ribs or at the neck.
Breathing very fast or working unusually hard to catch a breath.
Making grunting noises when breathing out, or stridor (a high pitched noise when breathing in).
A temperature of 38°C or higher in a baby under 3 months, or 39°C or higher in a baby aged 3 to 6 months. .
Seeming very tired, floppy, or unusually lethargic.
Any visible pause in breathing
Blue lips or skin.

Safe treatments

For simple colds and coughs, ensure your child gets plenty of fluids. Saline nasal drops can help clear a blocked nose, and a cool-mist humidifier in their room may ease airway irritation.

Crucially, there are treatments you must avoid. Do not give honey to babies under 12 months old. Furthermore, many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines sold in pharmacies are not suitable, safe, or effective for children under the age of six and children aged 6 to 12 should only have over the counter cough and cold medicine if advised by a pharmacist or doctor.

A cough gets worse at night because of gravity. When you lie down flat, mucus from a postnasal drip can pool at the back of your throat, irritating the cough reflex. Lying down also allows stomach acid to travel up the oesophagus more easily, which can trigger or worsen an acid reflux cough. Propping yourself up with extra pillows can help ease this.

The difference between a cough from a cold and one from allergies is the presence of other viral symptoms. A cold cough may come with a mild temperature, a runny nose, and body aches, usually improves within 3 weeks. An allergy cough is often completely dry, persists as long as the allergen is present, and can be accompanied by itchy and watery eyes

Stress or anxiety does not cause a cough directly, but it can lead to a habit cough or create a hypersensitive cough reflex. This often happens after an initial respiratory illness has passed, leaving a residual, dry cough that worsens during moments of stress but disappears entirely when the person is asleep.

Whether it is better to suppress a cough or let it happen depends on the type of cough. For a productive, wet cough, it is generally best to let it happen so your body can clear the mucus from your chest. If you have a dry, non-productive cough that prevents you from sleeping, a cough suppressant may help in the short term. Speak to a pharmacist before using one, and do not give cough medicines to a child under 6.

Coughs can feel worse at night because lying down can increase throat irritation or mucus drainage. Conditions such as acid reflux can also trigger coughing at night.

Cough: Types, Causes, and When To See a Doctor